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Welcome newsXpress North Lakes

newsXpress North Lakes is now open in Queensland. This new business in a new centre is a fresh newsXpress offering in the North Lakes region. Packed full of stock from many newsXpress preferred suppliers and staffed with a friendly team, this business was open just a few days before Christmas. This was a massive challenge with many suppliers and others working to help get the business open so close to Christmas.

As the opening date changed suppliers adjusted plans to ensure they could respond when the shop was ready. Over the coming weeks the team will settle the business and bring newsXpress magic to the region.

newsXpress members loving EXCLUSIVE Valentines Ty Beanie Boos plush already!

The EXCLUSIVE TO NEWSXPRESS Ty Beanie Boos product for Valentine’s Day 2014 is selling well across our group of proactive newsagents.

Released a couple of weeks ago, customers have been purchasing this exclusive line so they don’t miss out. Ty plush collectors have been seeking out newsXpress locations since newsXpress stores are the only only retail outlets with this item.

This is one of the many benefits of newsXpress – exclusive product. It generates net new traffic and drives a more valuable shopping basket from existing traffic.

newsXpress landing these deals for newsXpress members is another example of us delivering real value to members.

Ready for Boxing Day

newsXpress members are getting ready for Boxing Day Sales with newsXpress exclusive collateral for the big day provided by the group to members.

With traditional Boxing Day Sales running for two weeks, the collateral provides members with posters to use right away from december 26 for promoting that their business is participating in this legendary sales event.

The collateral has been provided by newsXpress in several sizes for local store use.

newsXpress has released two other collateral opportunities to members this week.

newsXpress locks in HOT ink! 2014 launch

newsXpress earlier this month locked in a re-launch of its HOT ink! offer for 2014. The re-launch includes new marketing activity, new in-store engagement opportunities and customer prize opportunities. The HOT ink! catalogue also offers access to a broader range of product – all being pitched at highly competitive prices.

The catalogue offers access to the customer-engaging ink card that provides customers with a tool to make buying ink easier.

HOT ink! is exclusive to newsXpress. It generates excellent traffic and provides newsXpress stores with a cost-effective way of promoting their businesses to homes and businesses in their area.

newsXpress members benefit from central billing

newsXpress has offered central billing services to its members and to preferred suppliers for years. In addition to a discount off invoice benefit newsXpress members benefit from extended terms. In a recent comparison we discovered that for many central billing suppliers we offer the best deal in the newsagency channel in terms of a total package of discounts and time to pay.

This point of difference makes newsXpress even more valuable for newsXpress members.

Is it a Christmas pudding or soap?

Products offering a point of difference are vital to independent small business retailers and newsXpress is thrilled to have plenty of products in its preferred supplier portfolio that do offer a genuine point of difference.

One such product is this Christmas pudding soap.

Yes, the photo is deceptive.

It looks like a small Christmas pudding. But it’s really soap. Beautifully packaged and making for a perfect Christmas gift for a friend of neighbour.

Some newsXpress members have this product on display as part of their impulse Christmas range. It’s selling well and generating plenty of appreciative comments from customers.

Free Hallmark Roses Only gift card promotion helps newsXpress newsagency marketing group members boost Christmas sales

newsXpress stores participating in the Roses Only $20 gift card opportunity are enjoying being able to provide customers with a FREE $20 gift card when they purchase participating Hallmark product this Christmas. This campaign is a nice Christmas sales boost that has been provided to newsXpress member at no cost thanks to support from Hallmark and Roses Only.

Customer feedback across the counter is wonderful. Many are thrilled and surprised at the $20 gift card given to them. Some have let us know that they have gone home and used the card right away.

Delivering the unexpected can position a business well in the minds shoppers. In retail today such differentiation is important, especially to small business retailers competing with mass.

newsXpress is grateful for the opportunity of participating in this campaign.

newsXpress Laidley in New Idea

Well done newsXpress Laidley for making the pages of New Idea magazine with a photo of Santa in-store as pert ofyour Christmas celebrations. Well done!!

This is a great initiative by our proactive members at newsXpress Laidley!

newsXpress encourages members to grab every opportunity possible to promote your business outside in your community and elsewhere to grow awareness, traffic and sales.

Check out the latest New Idea today.

newsXpress members achieving above-average magazine sales growth

newsXpress members are achieving excellent year on year sales growth for a range of top selling magazines ahead of the newsagency channel average. This result is a direct result of exclusive training for newsXpress members at our conference and member meetings this year. The data is in and we can see the results of the work in the form of excellent sales results.

This sales growth is another way newsXpress is helping members to grow their businesses in a vitally important core category like magazines.

By sending emails and text messages, engaging in best-practice product displays and providing exceptional customer service newsXpress members are showing that you can grow magazine sales without having to discount them. This preserves margin dollars for the business and ensures maximum value for the business from the magazine category.

Excellent sales for EXCLUSIVE Valentines Day 2014 product in newsXpress stores

newsXpress members are reporting excellent sales already of the EXCLUSIVE Valentine’s Beanie Boo product and we are still two months away from Valentine’s Day. Such good sales so far in advance of the season has some newsXpress members ordering additional stock.

EXCLUSIVE lines like this help newsXpress members better connect with collectors and reinforce their businesses as the go to locations for plush. It also helps drive margin dollars.

newsXpress newsagency marketing group members love our training videos

newsXpress has published another training video in the series on how to create new high-margin products for sale in-store. The video offers training on Christmas products but is useful for all major seasons. The video was published in advance of another live training session on creating the products and answering questions.

newsXpress Family Circle promotion seen by 62,000+

A newsXpress promotion on Facebook (and Twitter) of Family Circle magazine and our retail network as the go-to retailers for the title has been seen by more than 62,000 facebook users.

newsXpress is running facebook campaigns as part of its out-of-store marketing of key products and our retail network. This activity is all about brand awareness for us and the products we are promoting such as Family Circle.

The Facebook posts also drive engagement with the newsXpress website as consumers ask us more questions as a result. Watch for more of these campaigns in 2014 as we reach out further.

Men’s Health Facebook promoting drives newsXpress traffic

A newsXpress promotion of the Men’s Health Summer Training Guide 2014 has been a hit on facebook with the post being viewed more than 35,000 times. This is terrific engagement for the magazine title and for newsXpress – the only retail channel promoted in the facebook post.

This post is part of a series by newsXpress promoting Pacific Magazines titles outside newsXpress businesses to drive traffic to our stores and raise awareness of the titles and our businesses together.

The post has also boosted likes for the newsXpress Facebook page and likes for the pages of members reposting our post.

newsXpress newsagent supplier forum a hit in Melbourne

On Friday in Melbourne we hosted more than 50 newsXpress preferred suppliers to a two-hour briefing on newsXpress, what we stand for and what our members look for in preferred supplier relationships.

We outlined our plans for 2014 and opportunities for their support of newsXpress members businesses.

Following the session several suppliers approached us with new opportunities for exclusive engagement. We’ll share more on that soon … very exciting.

We will share an overview of the newsXpress supplier forum content with members at our first round of member meetings in 2014. Watch for those dates soon.

We were thrilled that suppliers flew interstate to be at the session yesterday. We will be hosting one in Sydney early in 2014.

This session yesterday is an important point of difference for newsXpress. That’s what suppliers attending told us. We’re thrilled to have had the opportunity – especially at such a busy time of the year.

Jasnor Christmas decorations selling well

The wooden Christmas decorations from newsXpress preferred supplier Jasnor are selling well in our businesses. They are working especially well at the front of the store, on the leas line. Customers are commenting that they love that they are made from wood and look handmade. Beautifully and carefully packaged these items are being bought by people for themselves and as gifts for friends and neighbours.

Exclusive Ty Beanie Boos reindeer for newsXpress stores

newsXpress members are loving the EXCLUSIVE to newsXpress Ty Beanie Boos reindeer. It’s selling out across the country. Collectors are thrilled to have access to this exclusive line. newsXpress members are even more thrilled to be the only retailers with this line.

This exclusive reindeer is one of several exclusive Ty branded products newsXpress has offered and is offering its members through our preferred supplier relationship. This is an enduring and valuable relationship for members and for us.

newsXpress plush wall sales exploding in Christmas lead in

A year ago newsXpress launched the concept of a plush wall to its members (and the newsagency channel), showing how to dramatically grow plush sales.

Some newsXpress stores have gone from $1,000 a year in plush to $25,000 in their first year. Others have topped $80,000 this year in plush sales.

The success of the plush wall is a result of careful planning, deep research, wonderful supplier support and relentless in-store energy. This is not something that can be copied. It takes training and support from newsXpress to make it a success.

The photo shows the plush wall at our Westfield Southland store in Melbourne. Here we are competing with Kennys Cardiology, Wild, gift shops and plenty of majors in the plush space. We are the destination store for plush in this vast shopping centre.

Special Christmas deals for newsXpress members

newsXpress last week shared details of special offers from several of our newsXpress preferred suppliers who are offering access to heavily discounted excess Christmas stock. These special deals make available some excellent savings for newsXpress members. In some cases we had access to deals exclusively so newsXpress members could get in early and save more than others buying from the supplier.

This is what being part of a proactive buying coup is all about – accessing deals others don’t hear about as well as being given information and context that helps you make more many than others who don’t have access to the same insights.

Christmas chocolate offers newsXpress a point of difference

newsXpress members have had access to an excellent range of unique Christmas chocolate and candy items that includes these three delicious Christmas-themed chocolate treats. This broad and appealing range of christmas themed chocolate treats is a unique offer for newsXpress members as it is outside the usual that shoppers will find in a newsagency. The products are not priced and not widely available – this enables them to carry a healthy gross profit and to pitch a point of difference.

newsXpress offers access to an excellent mix of preferred suppliers from whom our members can source an excellent product range and grow profit point of difference.

newsXpress – your local back to school specialists

This poster was released to newsXpress members through the week for in-store and front window promotion of the business as a BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIALIST as part of a range of support of newsXpress members in the back to school season. In some locations back to school orders are well under way while in others the real work will start in the new year.

newsXpress is supporting members with artwork like this created in a collaborative way and distributed through a private newsXpress social media platform for members to download and use.

In addition to supporting member engagement with national back to school campaigns aligned with key suppliers, newsXpress also supports local store / local community engagement with the back to school opportunity.